Octagon 2023-24 Issue 5

THE

OCTAGON

Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sacramento, CA Permit No. 1668 @scdsoctagon

VOL.47 NO.5 • Sacramento Country Day School • 2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, CA • www.scdsoctagon.com • February 6, 2024

PRODUCT PLACEMENT Senior Lauren Lu applies eye-liner from a trending makeup brand. She is one of countless young, teenage consumers. PHOTO BY ZEMA NASIROV

Social media impacts youth beauty consumption, standards

BY LAUREN LU & ZEMA NASIROV

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hen senior Grace Zhao was in seventh grade, she discovered Korean beauty and makeup products. Enam-

ored by the stunning visuals of celebrities flooding her online feeds, Zhao was sold on the concept that she needed a

potent Vitamin C serum to correct her dark spots. Like many other preteens and teenagers, Zhao was influenced by social media to buy into anti-aging beauty trends intended for adult consumers.

She said that as a constituent of the Internet’s younger audience, she found products and trends marketed towards older teenage and adult women allur-

ing by nature. “I got a lot of content that made me shop and act like an older girl, even though I wasn’t,” Zhao said.

Zhao realizes in retrospect that the bedrock of her perception of beauty in middle school was formed by the content she consumed online.

“Looking back now, it’s just absurd to me because I didn’t need that at all, and

that wasn’t something that was appropriate for my age,” Zhao said.

This pattern of middle school girls consuming anti-aging and beauty products has only grown stronger since Zhao was in seventh grade.

In 2023, the term “Sephora kids” became prominent online. It refers to the

YOUTH BEAUTY page 6-7 >>

Student body breaks down barriers, opens new perspectives

BY SAHEB GULATI

One of the central goals of Sacramento Country Day is to engage a diverse community to act compassionately.

This commitment and student body has allowed students to broaden their perspectives, from changing political views to learning about different cultures.

Sophomore Gavin Wang points to Country Day’s size of 170 high school students as a key factor in student re-

lationships.

According to Wang, the school’s small size pushes students to interact with each other and form a tightknit community when they otherwise might not.

“Even though people might have diverse viewpoints or politics, because we interact with each other, we naturally make friends,” Wang said.

A study by the American Sociological Review suggests that because smaller schools inherently offer less choices for potential friends, exclusion

CAMPUS CORNER

and phenomena such as self-segregation are less prevalent.

As a result, Wang thinks the Country Day community is more tolerant.

“We’re a lot more open. We can take things seriously but not too seriously and still make jokes,” he said.

This social milieu has caused Wang to reconsider some of his viewpoints.

When the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas broke out, it was through discussion with fellow sophomore Sammy MoheyEldin that Wang more seriously engaged with the crisis.

“When you see the news come out, you naturally have one reaction,” Wang said. “But when you have friends with, say, different politics or different standpoints it puts things in a different light.”

To Head of High School Brooke Wells, Country Day’s strength partially lies in being a secular, independent school that practices compassion.

This allows the school to have increased control over curriculum for students, which includes an emphasis

DIVERSE FRIENDSHIPS page 3 >>

INSIDE the ISSUE

AUTHOR VISIT

WINTER BALL

Authors Gene Yang and LeUyen Pham are visiting grades 8-12 at Country Day on Feb. 8. Among the two authors, they have written “Avatar,” “American Born Chinese” and “Princess Black.” Students can order books to be signed by the authors during their visits.

On Feb. 10, from 7-10 p.m., high school students are invited to attend the Winter Ball held at the Sutter Lawn Tennis Club on 3951 N Street in Sacramento. The theme is Après Ski.

MEAN GIRLS Read a review of Paramount Pictures’ newest remake of “Mean Girls.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

02 NEWS STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Ava Eberhart Lauren Lu Garrett Xu COPY EDITOR Saheb Gulati NEWS EDITOR Zema Nasirov FEATURE EDITOR Eesha Dhawan SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Burr A&E/OPINION EDITOR Ishaan Sekhon PHOTO EDITOR Rehan Afzal HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY Siri Atluri PAGE EDITORS Rehan Afzal Andrew Burr Ava Eberhart Aaryan Gandhi Rebecca Lin Lauren Lu Anisha Mondal Anika Nadgauda Zema Nasirov Ishaan Sekhon Garrett Xu BUSINESS STAFF Saheb Gulati, manager Aaryan Gandhi, assistant Daniel Holz SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Ava Eberhart, editor Lauren Lu, editor Anika Nadgauda, assistant Anisha Mondal REPORTERS Kate Barnes Elisenda Bota Siri Atluri Jesse Dizon Aaryan Gandhi Saheb Gulati Daniel Holz Ava Levermore Rebecca Lin Luke Scripps Lillian Wang PHOTOGRAPHERS Rehan Afzal, editor Rebecca Lin Anika Nadgauda Zema Nasirov MULTIMEDIA STAFF Zema Nasirov, editor Andrew Burr Jesse Dizon Anika Nadgauda Luke Scripps GRAPHIC ARTISTS Lauren Lu, editor Claire Gemmell Rebecca Lin ADVISER Andrea Todd The Octagon is the student-run newspaper of Sacramento Country Day high school. The print edition is published eight times a year, and the website is updated daily. The Octagon is committed to unbiased and comprehensive reporting, serving as a source of reliable information for SCDS students and the school community. The Octagon will publish all timely and relevant news deemed appropriate by the editors-in-chief and adviser. We seek to highlight high-school-related events and spotlight the voices of those with a story to share. Further policies can be found on our website or by scanning the QR code below.

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

The Glass Knife wins prestigious awards

T

BY REBECCA LIN

he 2022-23 edition of The Glass Knife magazine received two awards in November 2023 and January 2024: a First Class rating and a Mark of Distinction in writing and editing from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA); and a Superior rating from the 2023 Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) contest, run by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Both of these awards were given by professional journalists, and both are the second highest of their kind.

The Glass Knife is Sacramento Country Day’s arts and literary magazine, containing original art, photography, short stories, poetry and music from middle and high school students. The theme of the 2022-23 edition was botanical garden.

“Our main goal is to present the works of students here in art, writing and music,” said Melissa Strong, adviser of The Glass Knife. “Our second goal is for students to get the hands-on experience of writing a magazine, which they do by practicing design.”

The NSPA’s Publications Critique Service provides student-made media with constructive feedback using a composite score and ranking that depends on factors such as coverage, writing and design.

For the REALM contest, entries are judged on its content, editorial identity, theme and editing, and receive a score and a ranking.

Editors Samhita Kumar, Brynne Barnard-Bahn, Adam Akins and Tonye Jack, all Class of ’23, worked together with staffers to organize student submissions into a cohesive book.

According to Strong, the first few months

of school are spent meeting as a group to decide the types of pieces that should be included, the layout and student submissions.

The Glass Knife’s production kicks into high gear in April and May, when the staff has most of the submissions to start putting the book together, Strong said.

The Glass Knife starts receiving submissions in September. Both middle and high school pieces are usually received through email with many teachers offering extra credit as incentives.

Sophomore Claire Gemmell, the current art editor and one of last year’s staff artists explained that about half of the artwork comes from asking known artists on campus to submit their pieces.

The staff visits the art room, chooses pieces that they like and asks the artist for permission to use it, she said.

Artwork is paired with literary pieces over the course of several meetings.

“Last year, we used the windows of the library to put up pictures of artwork and we had poems and literature on our computers, and we would pair the literature with the art,” Gemmell said. A lot of them had good matches, but for the literature that didn’t, we asked staff artists to create art for them.”

Strong believes that the students did a good job of developing the theme making the book come together.

“They’re really good at making the theme cohesive; you can see it throughout the book,” Strong said. “When it comes to putting the book together, Adam and Samhita were on top of that.”

Senior Lauren Lu, the current literary editor and a previous page editor, felt that the staff was good at working together as a team and being punctual about assignment deadlines.

“It was never really a matter of waiting

on somebody to finish their task,” Lu said.

“Everybody always volunteers to do things, which makes everything a lot easier because it won’t be just a couple of people holding all the responsibilities for themselves.”

Strong also contributed to the management and organization of The Glass Knife.

“She helped us a lot with organizing when things should be done and organizing the Google Drive we sort photos in,” Gemmell said. “She generally helped us refine the overall process.”

The team also experienced some difficulties with organizing students’ schedules and managing the editing and production of the magazine.

“Sometimes we have seniors on staff, and their term ends mid-May, but we’re still working up until June,” Strong said.

Lu also found it difficult to finish editing the magazine due to the late start time.

“I think that we should’ve started the bulk of the preparation earlier, because usually we wait until the fourth quarter to really start designing things,” Lu said.

For the page editors, Lu suggests brainstorming design elements and color schemes to use early on.

“Last year, it was just Adam, Samhita and me, and I spent almost every free period for two weeks straight just doing Glass Knife stuff, so I would prefer to avoid that,” Lu said.

Despite the obstacles that came along the way, staff members still enjoyed the process of making The Glass Knife.

“I really enjoyed the times I worked with them, collaborated with people, and organized things in different fashions,”Gemmell said. “It was really nice to work with other people in person.”

“In the end, I’m always super proud of what the kids did because they are super talented,” Strong said.

Mock trial defeats NP3 and Vista Del Lago

BY KATE BARNES

The Sacramento Country Day varsity Mock Trial team won the first two rounds of the Gordon D. Schaber Mock Trial Tournament. The first trial took place Jan. 25 with the Country Day defense team winning against Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep High School (NP3) 3-0. The second trial took place on Jan. 30. Country Day’s prosecution team won against Folsom’s Vista Del Lago High School 3-0.

The trials took place in the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse.

On Jan. 25, Country Day’s score added up to 445 after the judges evaluated each part of their defense: opening, close, cross examination and overall team performance; Natomas Pacific Pathways scored 424. On Jan. 30, Country Day scored 492, while Vista del Lago scored 420.

The case in question was the murder of Kieran Sunshine, the CEO of a medical

products company. The defendant was employee Tobie Clark, who pushed for a patent on a faulty product.

The prosecution argued that Clark was the killer because if Sunshine told the truth about the faulty product, Clark would lose money and would be liable for fraud.

The defense claimed that because of insufficient evidence, the killer could have been anyone, such as Sunshine’s sibling, who had the most to lose if the company went down.

The Country Day Mock Trial team has been competing in this tournament for seven years under Mock Trial Coach Rick Lewkowitz. The team has won twice already in the past, and Lewkowitz is optimistic about winning this year as well, especially since they won the first round against a strong opposition.

“I’d say in my seven years at Country Day, this was the toughest team we saw in the first round. So it was nice to win, even though it wasn’t by far a perfect round for

KILLER PERFORMANCE The Country Day Mock Trial team poses for a photo before the Jan. 30 round against Vista Del Lago. PHOTO COURTESY OF LIQIAN LIN

us,” he said.

Junior defense and prosecution attorney Garrett Xu also said that the team did extremely well but could stand to learn from their mistakes in future trials.

“In the long run, everyone’s going to make mistakes. It’s more important how you move forward,” Xu said.

Senior co-captain Eshaan Dhaliwal was voted Most Valuable Player in the first round by the opposing team and acted as an attorney for both defense and prosecution. However, he said that the second round went slightly more smoothly.

“Because we shook a lot of the round one nerves out, I think we did better on prosecution during the second round,” he said.

Both Xu and Dhaliwal thought sophomore witness Rya Allen did well in the first round against NP3, especially given this is her first year in Mock Trial.

“She took a character that had pretty much zero content, and she put so much character and enthusiasm into it that she didn’t look like a first year student at all,” Xu said.

Dhaliwal added that sophomore witness Ike Reynen did exceptionally well in the second round against Vista del Lago.

“He did a really good job playing a witness who found the body of the victim at the crime scene. It was a very convincing portrayal, and I think he improved compared to his last performance,” said Dhaliwal.

Lewkowitz said that some improvements could be made regarding the overall understanding of the law, but he’s happy with the progress made.

“We still have a ways to go, but I’m pretty happy with how much we’ve improved at this point,” he said.

The third round will take place on Feb. 6 and will be against Elk Grove High School.

Country Day will be the defense.

There will be two more rounds of the tournament, with the top eight teams going to the quarter finals. After the semifinals, the Sacramento county championship will take place on Feb. 15.

NEWS 03

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

Diverse friendships: Encouraging compassion (continued from page 1)

on compassion, Wells said.

Through summer reading, group school trips and intentionally recruiting and admitting students from a wide variety of backgrounds, Wells aims to teach compassion to students.

This goal is supported by a statement from the Country Day website that reminds students of a commitment to share unique stories, examine their biases, demonstrate empathy and learn from different perspectives.

Part of the website’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion section reads: “An inclusive education makes space and time for authentic voices while being careful not to marginalize different perspectives or lived experience.”

Wells strongly emphasizes the importance of this education and outlook.

“You can be a brilliant mathematician, but if you do not have that EQ [emotional intelligence] — ability to understand, empathize and be a compassionate member of society — you put a ceiling on your potential,” he said.

This philosophy tends to be reinforced by research.

According to the National Coalition on School Diversity, studies have shown that racially, culturally and economically-diverse school settings are strongly associated with a range of short and long term benefits for all racial groups. These benefits include gains in math, science, reading and critical thinking skills, as well as improvements in graduation rates.

At such schools, students may possess better critical-thinking skills and ana-

lytical ability as well as be more likely to form cross-racial friendships.

Freshman Maggie Nuñez-Aguilera transferred this school year from a school with a majority Mexican population and describes Country Day’s diversity as a reality check.

According to Nuñez-Aguilera, the racial, socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics of Country Day are far different from her prior experience.

This has come with some challenges. At times, she has found it somewhat hard to relate to others over shared experiences or culture.

“It’s not hard to find friends, but it’s hard to find people like me,” Nuñez-Aguilera said.

Overall, though, her experience has been positive.

“You learn a lot from people that are different from you, and that’s what I like about Country Day,” she said.

A meta-analysis of more than 500 studies in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology confirms that increased contact between members of different groups can have positive impacts.

This includes reducing prejudice, negative attitudes and stereotypes while at the same time increasing friendships among members of different groups.

Nuñez-Aguilera’s experience aligns with this.

“My friends teach me a lot about their culture and even correct me if I’m wrong,” Nuñez-Aguilera said. “There’s stuff that I wouldn’t normally know if I still went to my old school.”

Nuñez-Aguilera appreciates County Day for exposing her to other cultures,

people and perspectives.

One parent testimonial on the Country Day website expresses a similar sentiment: “The school’s commitment to engaging a diverse community has allowed my daughter to collaborate with teammates from different backgrounds and develop an appreciation for different perspectives.”

Wells is proud of students for breaking down social barriers and embracing differences with others in their interactions.

“If you first come into a space you’re unfamiliar with, I wonder how often and how many people go to the folks who are like them, ” Wells said.

Nuñez-Aguilera has dealt with this unfamiliarity to some degree.

“It’s a little different and harder to connect with everyone. I still find friends that are similar to me, but just not in that way,” Nuñez-Aguilera said.

Although this “tribe mindset” may come naturally to humans, Wells believes that when students converse with people different from them, experiences become ultimately more enjoyable.

The real power lies in the interaction, he said.

“Chemistry, English or writing are all secondary to how you’re going to interact with your neighbors of the world,” Wells said. “That’s what makes you human.”

Homecoming: SCDS basketball plays Cristo Rey

BY ANISHA MONDAL

On Jan. 26, Sacramento Country Day’s boys and girls varsity basketball teams played their homecoming games.

Varsity Boys Basketball Country Day’s varsity boys basketball team broke their four-game losing streak with a 48-28 victory against Cristo Rey. This game was transfer sophomore Riley Ruttan’s first time playing with Country Day. “It was good to learn stuff and be out on the court,” Ruttan said. “At the end of the day, it’s all a learning experience. There

can be moments where I will succeed or fail and I just have to learn from it.”

Ruttan hopes to make it to the Division 6 league playoffs along with increasing his point and rebound averages.

He praised teammate junior Parker Byers, who scored 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

“Parker knew how I would move and he controlled his own movements based on that,” Ruttan said.

For three games straight, Byers has been improving his point production. Byers said that his goal is to end the year strong and help the rest of the team improve.

Along with Byers, freshman Ryan Scripps scored ten points, provided six

assists and six rebounds, assuring the victory.

Scripps said that he wants to focus on building player’s confidence and team morale with practice.

“I’m excited for the next few years and playing with this team, as we will only get better from here,” Scripps said.

think the team is learning to work together well and I have high hopes for next year even after I leave,” Pirie said.

Varsity Girls Basketball Country Day’s girls basketball team also played Cristo Rey’s varsity team. The Cavaliers lost the game to the Saints 31-38.

“We had a close game up until the fourth quarter. For most of the game, we were up by one point but the opposing team started to make a comeback,” senior Rachel Pirie said.

Pirie commends sophomore Ella Martinelli for scoring most of the 31 points.

“Ella had good defensive movements with rebounds and moving the ball,” Pirie said.

As the captain of the girls basketball team, Pirie noted the number of new players.

“We have a lot of players who have never played before and they are making great progress with learning the game and the skills needed to play,” Pirie said.

Pirie’s goal is to improve her offensive skills and score more points than she did last season, but she also wants to help the new players work together to improve throughout the season.

Despite losing only one senior this year, that loss was tough because Brynne Barnard-Bahn, ’23, was a top post player. Still, Pirie is confident that there will be many improvements.

“There are challenges when it comes to playing with a lot of new players, but I

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Eberhart Family, Gulati Family, Intel Foundation, Lu Family, Monasa Family, Nadgauda Family and Xu Family

04 FEATURE

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

HARPER LIVESEY ROCKS THE STAGE

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ith her commanding vocals and exciting dance can cringe at it later, but just dance and have fun,” Harper said. moves, senior Harper Livesey fires up the crowd.

“I find a lot of enjoyment in that because a lot of emotions Her parents’ love of music encouraged her to just rush out of me, and it just feels so good to have them start singing. gone.”

“My parents were super into music. We would always Harper said she enjoys being play music either in the car or at home,” she said. on stage because it brings Harper has been the lead singer of Sacramento Counout some of her best-hidtry Day’s high school rock band, The Grubs, for five den qualities: confidence, outyears. going personality and powerful The Grubs rehearse their upcoming performances two stage presence, as opposed to being more days a week from 7:30 to 8:10 a.m. A typical band relow-key otherwise. Her stage persona alhearsal consists of laughing, talking and playing mulows her to eliminate fears and self-doubt. sic.

She becomes a whole new person.

To sophomore Jackson Whited, the bassist “It is super funny when people see of The Grubs, his experience of working with videos of me on stage and then meet Harper in the band has been very positive. me, two completely different people,” “She is a natural leader who helps the Harper said. band to function in the best way possiOne of Harper’s favorite memories ble,” Whited said. “She’s so positive on stage was at a school pep rally, and genuinely passionate about music. when she was singing “About a Girl” We’re all going to miss her next year.”

by Nirvana. She started clapping her Harper’s favorite genre to sing is hands together, and the whole school rock and fast-paced music that gets started clapping along to the beat of the people to dance. The band does covsong. ers of various artists. When choosHarper said she felt so happy at that ing music for the band, anyone can moment to feel the enthusiasm and joy comshare their input. ing from the crowd.

“We typically have conversaPam Livesey, lower school fourth-grade tions after a concert to discuss teacher and Harper’s mom, remembers the 2023 songs that we’d like to try.

Country Day holiday show.

We have to consider what “It was amazing getting to see her and The Harper’s vocal range Grubs close the holiday show,” Pam said. is and what songs Her favorite song that Harper has sung is “One work best for her, Way or Another” by Blondie. but we also Watching her daughter not just get up on stage try to find to sing, but to perform, makes her as a mother new sounds happy and proud, Pam said. to experiment Her mother always wantwith,” Whited ed to be in a band when said. she was in high school but Harper prepares herself for a perfornever had the guts to do it, mance by doing a mental warm-up.

Harper said.

“I don’t usually do a vocal warmup “It makes me proud — it’s more of a mental warm-up. I get that I’m making her nervous before I go on stage,” Harper proud by getting up said. on stage and doing Harper calms her emotions before something we both a performance by telling herself aflove,” Harper said. firmations.

With The Grubs’ enthusi“‘No one else is doing this. I’m the asm and dedication, they paved the way only one doing this.’ So if they tell for new bands to form at Country Day, me they didn’t like it? You didn’t do creating a musical world for more stuit. So why should I take your dents to grow creatively, Pam said. criticism,” Harper said.

Harper is graduating soon and is She sings for herself, grateful for the foundation Country but music is a huge Day has laid for her to be creative in way of connecting any way she wants. with others, Harp“Sacramento Country Day has er said. helped me grow as a performer. I “When I sing, I would not be who I am without want to connect with people in the free creativity I was given,” the crowd and make them feel hapHarper said. py, sad or angry with a song that I’m Harper is unsure if she singing,” Harper said. “It really depends on the song, wants to be in a band in but I just want them to feel the song in their heart.” college. However, she will Band Director Kurt Pearsall once asked Harper to always have The Grubs, the choreograph her stage routine, but she felt planning fond memories of the concerts it did not capture her as a performer. they performed at Country Day and the Instead, when Harper is on stage she lisconfidence she gained from being on stage. tens to the music and moves how she feels STORY BY AVA LEVERMORE; PHOTO “I used to want to be a rockstar. I think is best.

BY REHAN AFZAL “Do what makes you feel good and you that’s every kid’s dream,” Harper said.

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

FEATURE 05

MEET THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF ’26

Riley Ruttan Izzy Bockmann

N

ew school, new play calls.

Sophomore Riley Ruttan transferred from Rio Americano High School at the start of the second semester to Sacramento Country Day in search of a new environment with deeper, more challenging academic and athletic opportunities.

When Ruttan shadowed at Country Day before Thanksgiving of 2023, the smaller class sizes and student friendliness convinced him to come stay for good.

“I really like the environment and people, so I’m excited to create new experiences,” Ruttan said.

Even though his surroundings have changed, his love for basketball has not. Ruttan has brought his passion for the sport to Country Day. “I want to play for the Country Day team during the next three years of my high school life,” Ruttan said.

Basketball is, but has not always been, one of Ruttan’s favorite activities. Despite playing volleyball in middle school, he decided to take on basketball after constantly being recommended to by his friends due to his height.

Ruttan stands at 6 feet 7 and a half inches tall.

Ruttan’s first year of playing basketball was for the Rio Americano Raiders. Basketball enabled Ruttan to connect with others and is now a way for him to flourish in and contribute to the Country Day community.

Ruttan’s friend’s father suggested he practice with more people, so he decided to let Ruttan train with his friend: Country Day’s head basketball coach, David Ancrum.

Ancrum saw potential in Ruttan and has been training with him for over a year now.

Every morning they train together at 6:15 a.m. in the school gymnasium.

“Riley’s willingness to learn has improved his rebounding and jumpshots drastically,” Ancrum said.

Ruttan’s presence is a great contribution to the Country Day basketball team because he has opened up different options on the defensive and offensive ends of a basketball game.

“When he wasn’t here, the team had specific positions that they stuck to, but now we can place guys in different positions at various points in the game,” Ancrum said.

Over the summer, Ruttan trained six days a week for two hours a day playing basketball at Country Day. “There were times when I didn’t have a lot to do but I just told myself to get up and start working,” Ruttan said.

He has always played the center position because of his height, and he doesn’t seek to change positions anytime soon.

Aside from practicing over the summer, he also traveled to Colorado and saw the Denver Nuggets win the NBA championship, in addition to traveling with his uncle to see different basketball games.

“Nikola Jokić is my favorite player in the Denver Nuggets since he’s funny and is also a center,” Ruttan said.

Ruttan also watches college basketball. Ruttan believes that the Jayhawks from the University of Kansas will win the NCAA championships since they have 7-feet-tall center Hunter Dickinson, who happens to be his idol.

“We have a similar game, we play the same way and play in the same position but he’s way better than me, so I look up to him,” Ruttan said.

Apart from basketball, Ruttan also loves to view art. Although he is not the biggest fan of drawing, Ruttan loves to see the different ways artwork can be portrayed.

“Currently, I’m trying to change my schedule in order to get art as a class,” Ruttan said.

Watching people cook is another one of Ruttan’s interests, as long as he is not the one making the food. Ruttan loves to eat and watch cooking videos involving Mexican food, chicken tacos and steak.

“I cannot cook, but I follow ten accounts on Instagram to watch people cook,” Ruttan said.

Even though it has only been a week since Ruttan joined the school, he has already gotten a feel for the teachers and people.

“So far, Mr. Panasiti’s English class is my favorite class. I think the teacher is pretty good and so are the people,” Ruttan said.

He has yet to read the books in the sophomore curriculum but is excited to start the next semester’s selection of books for English 10.

This semester, Ruttan hopes to make the basketball playoffs as a Cavalier.

Before every basketball game, Ruttan checks in with his parents and coach to see if they have any pointers to offer and says a quick prayer.

“I just hope that after every game I can learn something new,” Ruttan said.

As the lights dim and the crowd goes silent, the click of stilettos is all anyone hears. Suddenly, the lights shine on the star of the show: Sacramento Country Day sophomore Izzy Bockmann, who transferred during the second semester from Palmer Trinity School in Miami, Florida.

Bockmann looks into her mirror with her eyelash curler in her hand. She sighs as she retracts from her daydream.

Ever since she was little, Bockmann has dreamed of performing for big crowds.

It began when her mom signed her up for music lessons when she was 8 years old.

Bockman began with classical training, learning how to play both the piano and the harp. By third grade, she knew most of Jennifer Lopez’s songs by heart.

Bockmann would spend time in the living room performing in front of her parents.

“I definitely became more interested in music after learning how to play both instruments, and it added another layer into my passion for music,” Bockmann said.

After musical training, she got her first gig at a restaurant in Miami. While most of her performances have been in bars and restaurants in Miami, Bockmann looks forward for opportunities to perform in Sacramento.

As the years went on, her interest in the music industry grew along with her love for music.

One of Bockmann’s biggest inspirations is Travis Scott.

Whether she is doing her homework, in the car or getting ready, Bockmann plays his music on repeat.

With Travis Scott as her role model, Bockmann wants to follow in his footsteps in the industry.

“I want to make money doing what I love, just like him,” she said.

Because Bockmann wants to write her own songs in the future, one of the most impactful moments in her musical career was having the chance to showcase her singing abilities to one of Kodak Black’s producers.

Her father had a meeting with him and showed him videos of her singing.

“He was like, ‘Wow she’s good,’ and then he asked if there was autotune, and my dad said, ‘No,’” Bockmann said.

After the meeting, the producer connected Bockmann with another producer in Sacramento, and she hopes to start making music soon.

If she were to release an album in the future, it would contain at least 6 songs and be in the pop genre.

Although she enjoys Travis Scott’s music, the songs Bockmann releases would mostly be inspired by Lana Del Rey. Over winter break, Bockmann moved to Sacramento due to her father’s job mainly revolving around Sacramento as he is the CEO of Blue Diamond.

However, due to homesickness, Bockmann has not been able to enjoy Sacramento as much as she anticipated.

She plans to return to Florida for college.

If her dreams of becoming a singer do not play out, Bockmann hopes to attend either Florida International University or the University of Miami, majoring in business.

Bockmann is planning on visiting Miami every month and is hoping to stay there over the summer.

Outside of her passion for music, Bockmann likes to spend her free time hanging out with friends, shopping and working out.

Bockmann has found it very easy to make friends within the Country Day community because of how open people were to receiving her.

“My first impression was that everyone seemed very nice, friendly and academically focused,” Bockmann said.

Comparing her old school to Country Day, Bockmann believes that the environments are completely different.

“It’s a lot smaller than my old school — probably three times smaller — so classes are much smaller,” Bockmann said.

However, this left room for her to get to know her teachers and classmates better. So far, she has been making many friends and has been enjoying her classes and time at Country Day. She said she wants to start going to the gym soon, as she did while she was in Miami.

While at Country Day, Bockmann hopes to maintain high grades and to graduate while she works on her music.

STORIES BY LILLIAN WANG, JESSE DIZON AND ELISENDA BOTA; PHOTOS

BY REHAN AFZAL AND DANIEL HOLZ

06 FEBRUARY 6, 2024

CENTER

YOUTH BEAUTY CONSUMPTIO ANTI-AGING UNIQUELY OCTAGON

In addition to over-the-counter skin care products, retinol has become a common item falling into the baskets of children.

Retinol is a form of vitamin A, which is used in skin care to treat acne and has anti-aging effects. The use of retinol creams prompt skin cell proliferation as well as collagen production, which in turn can reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

“I think one of the things that isn’t talked about enough is that many girls’ parents use retinol or other anti-aging treatments,” Mahan said. “As a kid I always wanted to wear makeup and dress like my mom. I wanted to be just like her.”

Retinol is typically recommended for adults starting in their mid-20s. This is around the time collagen production begins to naturally break down with age.

Jacobsen views and treats aging as a gift that grows as she progresses through the stages of her life.

“Yeah, maybe I have wrinkles or sunspots, but I don’t need retinol,” Jacobsen said. “I earned all of those running. I’ve traveled a lot, and every scar that I have is from living life. I don’t like the idea that you have to look airbrushed.”

While retinoid use can cause temporary side effects like dryness and irritation even in adults, these effects tend to be more common and severe in children because children’s skin is still developing and more sensitive.

While over-the-counter retinol products do not pose significant concern in side effects and symptoms in children, stronger prescription retinoids such as isotretinoin (a prescription oral retinoid medication to treat severe or cystic acne) and tretinoin (a topical retinoid) have been associated with bone abnormalities when used by children.

Because children’s bones are still actively growing, retinoids pose the risk of prematurely halting growth plate development, leading to altered bone structure.

Skeletal abnormalities are relatively common side effects, occurring in 25-90% of pediatric cases depending on the retinoid and dose.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MAKEUP (continued from page 1) increasingly younger demographic of shoppers at cosmetic stores.

Adult shoppers and Sephora employees have shared horror stories on the Internet about the influx of unaccompanied 10-year-olds running rampant in beauty stores: throwing tantrums, destroying displays and disrespecting those around them.

“I’m not sure why the new trend for 10-year-olds is skin care and $80 makeup,” said TikTok creator @_giannalove in a video.

“If that was the trend when I was growing up, my mom would have literally laughed in my face.”

In addition to purchasing products, some “Sephora kids” create content showcasing their consumption habits, encouraging their peers to do the same.

For example, on YouTube Shorts, Zhao frequently sees videos of preteens’ makeup and clothing hauls, mimicking older influencers; “Sing the song if you own the product” games that feature trending items and ASMR skin care routines.

“Kids put this pressure on themselves to be polished like the older girls they look up to,” Zhao said. “It’s not realistic. It’s not attainable. It doesn’t align with the development of preteens.”

Eighth-graders Marley Heller and Sophia Espinoza both indulge in purchasing beauty products from stores such as Sephora and Ulta.

Some of the popular items they have purchased include Drunk Elephant skincare products, Maybelline Sky High mascara and Sol de Janeiro perfume.

However, they do not view themselves as “Sephora kids.”

Heller believes that it is acceptable for seventh-graders and above to use makeup and shop at specialty cosmetic stores like Sephora. Yet, she finds it troubling when children even younger are in those stores acting like sophisticated beauty gurus.

“It’s really weird because they don’t even know what they’re doing when they apply it to their face,” Heller said.

Espinoza echoed Heller’s sentiments, saying that young children should avoid using

SEPHORA

beauty products.

“They’re very materialistic. They want all the products to make themselves look younger even though they are young,” Espinoza said.

This materialism extends further than ordinary makeup — certain items are idolized, and according to Zhao, those whose personal style adheres to an “aesthetic” are encouraged to consume more in order to conform.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean you follow trends tightly, but they do have a big impact on what I view as fashionable at the moment,” Zhao said. “Of course everybody wants to be fashionable.”

Patricia Jacobsen, dean of student life and math department head, feels disturbed by the young ages of girls using intense anti-aging, skin care and makeup products.

“It’s more indoctrination, or more of society telling girls they need to be beautiful,” Jacobsen said. “Not too many ‘Sephora boys,’ right?”

She holds concerns that female students may feel pressured to conform to these societal beauty standards, sacrificing the time required to excel in other areas.

“This bothers me because if you have a test at 8:20 a.m., and your main focus as a young woman is to make sure your hair is straightened because that’s what society has told you to do, maybe the boys are sleeping for an extra half hour or reviewing for the test,” Jacobsen said.

According to Heller and Espinoza, the constant exposure to idealized images of beauty on social media leads young girls to internalize these unrealistic standards. In addition, it fuels demand in young women for high-end beauty products and spending.

Seeing perfectly styled influencers and models continually online causes impressionable teens to desire to emulate these flawless looks themselves, Heller and Espinoza said.

“Sometimes it sets high beauty standards for people our age,” Heller said. “Seeing really pretty girls and trying to compare yourself to them can be really hard to deal with.”

Zhao attributes this to the decline of online content and stores like Claire’s and Justice,

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THE OCTAGON

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STORY BY LAUREN LU & ZEMA NASIROV; GRAPHICS BY ZEMA NASIROV; PHOTOS COURTESY OF SEPHORA

SOCIAL MEDIA

aimed specifically at a preteen audience.

“The blurring of content between age demographics definitely has allowed younger kids to become exposed to more adult content,” Zhao said. “I think companies are well aware of that and I think they’re taking advantage of that.”

According to Zhao, marketing companies intentionally seek out the most attractive influencers and models in the target age demographic to sell their product. Companies may even go beyond the age demographic because younger people admire and aspire to be like older people, especially within the narrow range of high school.

“A 14-year-old admires an 18-year old, but an 18-year-old doesn’t necessarily admire a 60-year-old,” Zhao said.

That, combined with a lack of representation for preteens, has caused them to turn to other role models, Zhao said.

For example, when Zhao was in fifth grade, she stumbled upon a prom dress website. Despite her senior prom being almost a decade away, she ogled at the gorgeous models and intricate dresses, becoming aware of her deficiencies and flaws for the first time.

“I was comparing my prepubescent body to the body of 20 to 23-year-old models, who were then marketing towards high school girls,” Zhao said. “None of the ages in that system matched up, and I think it’s designed that way.”

In addition, from what Zhao has seen online, she believes that there appears to be disproportionately more female beauty influencers than male influencers.

As a result, girls in general are making more decisions about their appearance and their consumption than boys are at a younger age, Zhao said.

To avoid this, Zhao would like to see more stores and online content directed for that in-between age demographic.

“I grew up in the age demographic where Claire’s as a middle schooler was still very much a cool place to go,” Zhao said. “I would like to see more stores like that today.”

Students also identified family influence as a reason why many preteens and teenagers started focusing on makeup and enhancing their appearances.

For example, Heller started wearing mascara in middle school, after her mother told she should start wearing it to make her eyelashes look longer.

Sophomore Grace Mahan was also introduced to anti-aging practices at a young age from being surrounded by family members who wear makeup.

“My mom, dad and grandma got Botox, so I feel like being around that and social media can give kids the signal that they need to change how they look,” Mahan said.

As a parent, Jacobsen is frequently surprised by the number of products in her daughter’s bathroom. Although she supported her daughter using simple, natural-looking makeup to enhance her features beginning in late middle school, she emphasizes that makeup is not necessary.

“The few times that I have kind of rolled my eyes is if it’s 9 a.m. on a Saturday and when I want to walk the dog, and she has to put mascara on before we go,” Jacobsen said.

For Jacobsen, it is important to strike a healthy balance and foster a strong understanding of what is reasonable for the child’s age.

“I try not to be judgmental about what other parents let their kids do,” Jacobsen said. “But for me, that would not be a choice I would make if I had a 10-year-old again. I hope that my grandkids wouldn’t be encouraged to do that either.”

However, Jacobsen also believes that using skin care and makeup can be enjoyable, not only constricting. She acknowledges the satisfaction derived from the intimate process of getting ready.

Indulging in activities intended to enhance beauty can also be a bonding experience when they are age-appropriate for the child, Jacobsen said.

“I remember when Kaitlyn was two or three, we would paint each other’s nails,” Jacobsen said. “But, I’m not putting anti-aging stuff on her cuticles.”

While Jacobsen uses several products to protect her skin, she fears how preteens are being regularly exposed to the beauty industry and societal standards.

“At 10, you don’t know that you’re not pretty enough until and unless someone

BEAUTY STANDARDS In a Google Form sent out on Jan. 22, we polled Country Day high school and middle school students on whether they have ever been influenced to purchase beauty products. Respondents answered:

Yes: 54.1% No: 41.2% Other: 4.7%

No

Yes

tells you that there’s something wrong with you,” Jacobsen said. “I don’t think we’re naturally designed to find all of our flaws and to be so negative with ourselves.”

For Zhao, the outside influence that accomplished this was the Internet. She said that she was being exposed to content that gradually reprogrammed her brain, convincing her that she was lacking and that she required certain products, routines or behaviors to compensate for it.

However, Zhao believes it is an absurd expectation.

“How much anti-aging can you even do as a 13-year-old when you haven’t aged in the first place?” Zhao said.

Today, Zhao considers herself a “skin care minimalist,” sticking to a handful of reliable staples. While she admits that several of her purchases were influenced by current trends, Zhao urges preteens to become cognizant of the reason why they feel that they need certain products.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s fun. But we need to wake up to how much we’re being exploited,” Zhao said.

In a Google Form sent out on Jan. 31, we asked Country Day high school and middle school students to rate popular beauty products. The results are below.

08 OPINION

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

“Seeds of Compassion” by Claire Gemmell

EDITORIAL: Reintroducing community service in school class trips

T

hroughout the long history of Sacramento Country Day’s high school “class-bonding trips” occurring at the beginning of each school year, the itinerary has seen a vast amount of change.

A considerable example of this is the elimination of the trips’ community service aspects, which Country Day should reincorporate into the trips’ schedules.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, seniors would perform community service as a part of their trip schedule during Senior Week in the spring.

According to Head of High School Brooke Wells, the selection of organizations offered typically included Loaves and Fishes, the Sacramento Food Bank, the River City Food Bank and on-campus volunteer opportunities.

However, during the pandemic and quarantine, most local community service organizations stopped requesting volunteers, causing Country Day’s annual class trips to come to a halt.

After Country Day brought back class trips during the 2022-23 school year, the community service aspect was nowhere to be seen.

One of the main reasons for this was the logistical factors of having large student groups. “If you’re going to go to Habitat for Humanity and build houses, they don’t necessarily want 50 kids and they’re not going to want them under 18,” Wells said.

Along with the struggle of organizing community service trips for larger class sizes and finding organizations that accept minors for volunteering, ensuring student commitment to the trips was challenging.

“There was a lot of tracking down, calling homes saying, ‘Hey, you need to be there,’” Wells said.

This fall, Country Day changed the senior class trip itinerary. Instead of traveling to Ashland, Oregon, students participated in college application workshops in the morning and went to activities in the afternoon during the first half of the week.

Seniors had the second half of the week off so that they could set up appointments for help with college applications, visit colleges on their own or take some time to relax. This change was meant to mitigate stress related to college applications.

Although there is still time for the school to implement community service during Senior Week, they risk running into many of the obstacles they faced pre-pandemic, such as inconsistent student commitment.

Students may feel less enthusiastic about community service trips during Senior Week, since it is meant to focus on class bonding, especially after the change in schedule for class trips in the fall.

To avoid this, Country Day should implement community service trips earlier in the school year.

Seniors would gain an additional incentive to

attend these trips because it fulfills their graduation requirements for community service and adds meaningful work to their high school resumes.

To combat the issue of having groups that are too large, students can choose between multiple organizations for their volunteer trips, with each organization having a faculty chaperone.

Country Day can also implement community service into fall trips for freshmen, sophomores and juniors by incorporating time volunteering at community service centers at their trip locations as well.

For example, in Ashland, students could spend time volunteering at the Ashland Parks and Recreation Center.

After a guardian fills out a Youth Waiver, students have the opportunity to work in parks and trails, the North Mountain Park Nature Center, the Senior Center, special events, seasonal options and student projects.

While Country Day continues to emphasize its school motto, placing even more importance on compassion and empathy this year, students must be provided with multiple opportunities to create change in their communities throughout the school year.

By reincorporating community service into class trips, Country Day would take a crucial step to further emphasizing its dedication to compassion and empathy.

EDITORIAL: Reconsidering school breaks for student well-being For years, Sacramento Country Day students were entitled to a two-week spring break, allowing more flexibility for travel and activities, among other things. Now, we have two separate one-week spring breaks.

Country Day’s schedule isn’t just unorthodox regarding spring break. Our finals also happen in the middle of January — considerably after winter break — which is different from most other schools in the area.

Sure, the argument could be made that our first semester starts a couple of weeks later than other schools, so it makes sense that we have finals after winter break.

However, the benefit of being wholly de-stressed during winter break dramatically outweighs the negative impacts of a slightly shorter semester for students.

Seniors would also be able to get the majority of the year’s school work out of the way before break, freeing up time for them to work on college applications.

According to Head of High School Brooke Wells, Country Day has held its finals after winter break for over 20 years.

These changes wouldn’t only benefit students.

Many teachers have children who are attending other high schools and colleges, and it would be helpful if their work schedules aligned with their children’s breaks.

Country Day doesn’t have issues with changing the schedule in significant ways. In the past, the school switched from a two-week spring break to a one-week “Ski Week” and a one-week spring break in the mid 2010s, according to Wells.

The idea behind this change may have been to distribute the breaks out across a more extended period of time, allowing students more periods of free time to relax and teachers to grade.

This sounds great on paper, but it becomes unnecessary and ineffective in practice.

Because our long winter and spring breaks are close together, a filler break is not needed between them.

Hearing this may raise the question, “What sane person would oppose a break?”

First, it’s inconvenient for travel.

Some students and families love to travel during breaks, whether this is to visit family or for fun. Being limited to one week restricts the extent to which you can experience a destination and may even deter some families from traveling completely.

This can be an issue, especially for students with family living internationally, as they can be prevented from spending valuable time with their family.

Next, a two-week break has a greater chance of aligning with those of a sibling in college or a sibling at another local school.

Most colleges have different schedules, and with a two-week break, there is a greater chance that everybody will be home at the same time.

Finally, a two-week spring break could help mitigate burnout among students.

For some students, going in and out of school quickly and repetitively may feel fast-paced and reduce the efficacy of the breaks.

Another extended break could be crucial for helping students decompress and avoid burnout in the months before finals and AP exams.

A poll could be given out to students to see the student body’s true opinion, but with all of the benefits a two-week break can provide, it would be unlikely that Country Day as a whole would prefer to keep the current schedule.

Simple changes like these can improve students’ quality of life and grades. The benefits from these changes will likely outweigh the cons so they should be implemented.

OPINION 09

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

MY ANGLE: Joint dances can save our dance culture

BY DANIEL HOLZ

I

stepped out of the car, excited to be at my first high school dance. As I entered the gymnasium, envisioning a night of pulsating beats and spirited dance moves, I was greeted by an astonishing sight — half of the gym floor bathed in blinding overhead lights, now transformed into a makeshift casino.

The stark lights made it hard to relax and dance, and the overall experience was underwhelming to say the least.

The entirety of the 2023 Sacramento Country Day Homecoming dance went exactly like this, a shocking contrast to what I was expecting.

This trend carried over into the second dance of my freshman year, the 2023 Winter Ball. This time, they had gotten rid of the bright overhead lights and replaced the shoddy casino with a winter-themed environment, complete with blue snowflakes and snowy decorations. However, most of the students started becoming disinterested around halfway through the dance, with many outright leaving the gym.

At this point, it was clear that there was something glaringly wrong with Country Day dances.

The issue came to light in full force during last year’s prom on a train, a chaotic mess that included all grades of students – not just juniors and seniors like how prom traditionally is.

Many juniors and seniors have voiced concerns about annoying freshmen and sophomores at prom, especially packed in tight like sardines during last year’s prom on the train.

Repetitive music choices and the narrow width of the train cars only worsened the dance.

After this experience, the problem became clear – Country Day is simply too small to make an event an upperclassman milestone like prom succeed.

Because Country Day is so small, juniors and seniors do not get to have the special experience that prom should be.

Traditionally, prom is exclusively for juniors and seniors, a celebration of their high school achievements as a final dance to reward their hard work and close out the year.

Instead, Country Day juniors and seniors have to painfully share the experience with freshmen and sophomores surrounding them.

I think that using joint dances with other schools could solve the size problem and introduce a new experience for dances other than prom as well.

Joint dances are where two schools organize a dance together and invite students from each school to the event.

Country Day could greatly benefit from dances such as these, as it would solve the problem of the lack of students; it also allows students to meet new people outside of Country Day that they might not have otherwise.

Although it is true that joining with larger schools would be difficult due to the ratio of students, Country Day only

needs to focus on having dances with smaller schools.

Country Day could join with other small schools such as Sacramento Waldorf School, which is also likely facing the same problems as Country Day due to their small student population.

Both schools could have student polls to elect where to have the dance — within reason — and the schools would split the funding due to their similar sizes.

Students or teachers could decide the theme and decorations, and requests could be made for certain music to be played at the dance.

Joint dances like these provide the perfect opportunity for many students to create new friendships outside of school, and offering invites to homeschooled students could provide even more opportunities to meet new people.

Additionally, with different student councils working together, the budget would be significantly reduced for each school involved due to collaboration, translating to cheaper dance tickets overall.

The planning for these dances would be left up to the student councils of each school, a perfect opportunity for more student voices to be heard while also allowing both student councils to collaborate with each other.

If implemented, joint dances could revive Country Day’s dance culture and lead to more fun and interesting dances in the future.

ADVICE: Reducing attraction, building friendship

BY ANONYMOUS This is an advice column that responds to questions shared

by Country Day students anonymously. To submit, send a question to the Google form sent out on Jan. 22, 2024. Responses are not guaranteed, but all submissions are welcome.

I’ve noticed that sometimes I like and pursue multiple people at once. I can’t decide on a single person to start a relationship with because I see positives in all of them. What should I do?

Finding yourself entangled in feelings for multiple people simultaneously is indeed a common challenge among young people.

Managing such a situation is not just detrimental to your emotional well-being, but also poses challenges for all those involved.

However, it is important to remember that, as an individual who is looking for a relationship, you should not feel ashamed of having attraction for multiple people or for appreciating the qualities that make someone a compatible potential partner for you. In fact, it’s normal.

The issue rises when you find yourself leading on multiple people at once, sneaking around a current partner’s back or promising commitment to a partner you are unsure about.

So, the first step in any solution is to start by exploring your feelings within the confines of your own mind.

Consider these questions: What does it truly mean to “like” someone? Is your type of “like” merely a physical attraction, or is it more than that? What draws you to each person in the first place? Do these attractions share common ground, or are they specific to each person?

1

What do I do if I want to branch out of my friend group? I feel like it’s hard to make new friends.

In order to face this dilemma, you must start by identifying the root cause. Why do you feel that it is hard to make new friends?

Perhaps — and this is quite common — you feel held back by your current group of friends. Once you feel a sense of stability in a friend group, it can be difficult to step out of your comfort zone.

You may ask yourself, “What if my friends don’t like this new friend of mine?” or “What if my friends think I’m trying to leave them?”

But having thoughts such as these can impede your sense of self-determination.

You are the decider of who you associate with, and if it happens to be with someone outside of your friend group,

Are these advice questions even real?

Yes, they are! You can submit your questions to the Issue 6 advice column. We will try our best to answer them, but no responses are guaranteed. Thank you for your continued support!

Across

4

8

so be it. You are not bound to a set group of friends.

Nonetheless, I can assure you that your current friends will probably not take offense to your newfound desire to expand your social circle. Chances are, many of your friends already have some other companions outside of your immediate friend group and will understand and relate.

Now, if you have already realized this and are simply struggling to make new friends, first think about how you became close with your current friend group.

Maybe you all had similar interests or a shared experience that brought you together.

Regardless, you managed to apply your interpersonal abilities to form close bonds with others. This in itself is proof that you are capable of making more friends now.

So, throw yourself out into the social arena. Talk to others that you’ve never engaged with before. It is impossible to know how you’ll connect with someone without ever giving it a shot.

And certainly don’t feel constrained to your grade level — perhaps the friend you’ve been searching for has been in a grade above or below you all along.

However you choose to go about broadening your social network, my main piece of advice would be to be yourself.

As cliché as it may sound, you will only be able to make genuine friendships if you don’t feel the need to conform to a fake identity.

OCTO-BLOCK

2

3

5

A bit of introspection can go a long way. Self-awareness can guide you to make decisions that align with what you truly want in life.

Understanding the nuances of your own emotions is the first step in untangling what can become your love maze.

But as fun as a love maze sounds, this isn’t a game. It’s also important to understand that it’s not just you involved.

So here you are, captivated by the charm of more than one individual. It’s like having a bouquet of flowers, each with its unique allure. However, unlike flowers, you have to understand human emotions are intricate and delicate, requiring careful consideration.

When it comes to a dilemma like this one, know you have to manage your own emotions and also respect everyone involved, including yourself. Take your time, be patient and acknowledge the fact that you’re not alone.

1. Mojo dojo casa house.

5. King Arthur’s mythical kingdom.

6. Insects use this part of their body to feel surfaces, listen to sounds and detect air movement.

7. A song from K-pop group NewJeans’ most recent EP.

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Down

6

2. The tallest mountain in the world.

3. The place where Disney princess Moana wants to go.

4. In Greek mythology, this Titan was forced to hold up the sky on his back for eternity.

8. Percy Jackson visits this artistic attraction in NYC in “The Lightning Thief.”

9. The last name of the Taiwanese-American basketball player who formerly played for the Golden State Warriors.

7

Down: 2. Everest 3. Ocean 4. Atlas 8.The Met 9. Lin

Across: 1. Ken 5. Camelot 6. Antenna 7. ETA

10 FEATURE

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

Tonye Jack, ‘23, PURsues music at CSUN

T

onye Jack, ’23, attends California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and is majoring in marketing.

Q: Why did you choose to go to CSU Northridge?

A: I chose to go to CSUN because I like the area. It’s far away from home but still in California.

Also, CSUN has what I’m looking for — specifically music industry and marketing classes.

I’m also in SoCal, so it’s a good place for me to achieve what I want, like my passion for music.

Q: Why did you choose to major in marketing?

A: I’ve always wanted to work in the music industry, and it was either the business or marketing side of it for me.

Since I was exposed to music at a young age, that definitely shaped my passion for making music too. I first started making electronic music in fourth grade. Then, I started doing vocals and leaning more toward making rap in high school.

In the end, I chose marketing because I already have experience promoting my own music.

Q: What careers are you thinking about pursuing?

A: The ultimate goal is to be an artist. I want to live off of my music and work with the people I want.

If not, I’m also interested in working in music production and becoming an audio engineer. Or, I’d want to become an artists and repertoire (A&R) representative and help smaller artists sign with record labels.

I’ve also thought about making a business or an app that helps artists connect with labels and producers, but I need to find the right people for that.

There’s a lot I’d want to pursue in the music industry, but my degree is just to show that I meet some formal qualifications.

Q: What classes are you taking for your major?

A: For the first semester, some classes are obviously toward my major, but I’m also taking music industry classes on the side.

So, I’m taking Math 103: Business Methods, which is a business calculus class. My music industry class for this semester is Music 106: Hip-Hop. I’ve also got English 130A which is my writing class, Religious Studies 100 and Political Science 155.

Northridge?

A: Obviously, it depends. From my experience, they’re all pretty chill and good at what they do except my math professor.

He just teaches like a bum, so you either have to learn it yourself or get help through a support request.

Q: What’s your favorite class?

A: My favorite class is my hip-hop class, where we’re learning about the history of hip-hop and its impact on the world.

Another cool part of the class is that we have listening parties. So, we usually listen to what people in the class make, and I’ve also submitted some of my stuff.

My professor, Hip Hop Professor and producer Augie Ray, owner of Hype Studios LA, is really cool and we’ve listened to some of the beats he has produced.

Q: How does a bum teach?

A: A bum just talks at you. They don’t really explain the concept or take the time to make sure you understand it.

I tried going to a couple of his office hours, but it wasn’t that helpful. His explanations weren’t that great, so I found it better to learn on my own.

That’s what sets apart Country Day teachers since they’re focused on helping students if they’re struggling.

In college, classes are a lot larger, so you have to make it blatantly aware that you’re struggling. If you don’t reach out for help, then you just have to struggle through it.

Q: What’s your least favorite class?

A: Easily my political science class. I don’t really like politics, and it’s a night class from 7 to 9 p.m.

For two hours, it’s just some old guy rambling at us, and I don’t want to be there.

I only took the class to meet my course requirements, but I also registered for my classes a bit late, which is why I’m in this class specifically.

Q: Are there any clubs you’re a part of?

A: This year, I’m only involved in the CSUN Black Student Union. Since we started late, all we’ve done is make upcoming plans for the year. Specifically, we’ve planned a few game nights and movie nights to get to know each other.

I was also looking for music-related clubs, but none of them had what I was interested in. A lot of Northridge’s music clubs focus on classical music, which isn’t a commitment I want to make.

Just like at Country Day, I was thinking about starting an Audio Recording Production club here, but that’d probably be in my sophomore or junior year.

I also don’t know what I want to do with the club yet, but it’ll probably be at a more advanced level than at Country Day. The premise is for everyone to come together and make beats or record their music.

Q: How are the professors at CSU

Q: What’s your housing situation like?

A: My dorm is pretty standard for two people. My roommate is pretty chill and we have a good system going on, so we’ve never had any problems.

Everyone in my dorm building are freshmen, but that hasn’t really made a difference when settling in.

For our dorm, we also got a fridge, a microwave, a coffee maker and an air fryer, all of which have been pretty convenient.

Q: What’s the social scene like at CSU Northridge?

A: Simply put, it’s social. There’s always some event going on, or a party somewhere since this school is so crowded.

Also, we have a pretty diverse student population, so it’s always interesting to talk to people from different backgrounds.

I’ve met a lot of people from New York, Boston, Texas, Atlanta and people from different parts of California. There are also international students and people with different financial backgrounds, so we kind of have everyone here.

Q: Have you made any freshman mistakes?

A: I registered for my classes kind of late.

A month before college, I met with my

adviser to discuss my classes, but couldn’t attend the meeting to finalize everything because my Wi-Fi cut out the day of.

The only available slot for me was the week before move-in day. Basically, I got whatever classes people didn’t want, like my political science night class.

This time, I made sure to choose my classes for the next semester the same week it was available.

Q: Do you have any tips for college life?

A: As important as it is to get yourself out there, don’t get distracted easily, especially when it comes to accomplishing your goals.

Parties are fun and all, but don’t let that throw you off your game. That’s also why it’s important to stay ahead of your classes.

That being said, making friends at Country Day is much easier than in college. In high school, everyone has the same classes and you see the same people every day, so you’re bound to make friends.

In college, you have to make more of an effort or else no one’s going to talk to you. For example, if there’s an event, force yourself to go.

Q: What’s your advice for the Class of 2024?

A: In terms of the application process, don’t stress out about it. I know you’re going to anyway, but chances are that you’ll enjoy the next four years wherever you go.

Also, don’t think that the name of the college determines your life — that’s stupid.

At the end of the day, what matters is your degree. That’s why it’s important that you’re pursuing what you enjoy, or else you’ll be miserable later.

STORY BY AARYAN GANDHI; DESIGN BY ANDREW BURR; PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONYE JACK

A&E 11

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

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recently watched the 2024 “Mean Girls” remake, and WOW. Not bad, for a musical (who am I kidding, it was really, really good). All the singing and dancing, though unexpected, definitely worked. I would even say that this new version, which is an adaptation by Tina Fey of the original 2004 “Mean Girls,” is better than the original. It was not only more realistic and relatable than the 2004 version, but it was also just a lot of fun to watch.

For context, both of the “Mean Girls” movies focus on the life of Cady Heron, a formerly homeschooled student, as she learns to navigate public high school. She moves to North Shore High School from where she was living in Africa after her mom gets a new job. In her new school, she makes friends with the infamous Plastics — led by Regina George — and social outcasts Janis and Damian.

However, the original and the remake are definitely not the same, especially because the remake is also based off of the 2018 Broadway musical of the same name and includes much of the same songs (over half of the songs from the musical are in the new movie).

The music itself is definitely iconic, with songs like “I’d Rather Be Me,” which is sung by Janis, adding another level to a character that otherwise wouldn’t have been explored.

This happens again with “What’s Wrong With Me,” sung by Gretchen, who is hardly more than a side character in the original. These songs take the characters I loved from the original and bring them to life by providing context and depth.

For example, in “What’s Wrong With Me,” Gretchen sings about how whatever she does never meets Regina’s high expectations, a perspective I wouldn’t have considered while watching the 2004 version.

In addition, the music makes the movie so much more fun, which is surprising since I’m not a big fan of musicals in general. I think

that’s why this movie is so great: it mixes the fun classic with iconic music from the musical in a way that isn’t too overpowering. This way, we get the best of both worlds: fun banter and touching songs.

The music isn’t the only way the 2024 remake is different from the original. The writer, Tina Fey, also does a great job of adapting the original to current times in a way that makes the movie even more funny and relatable.

For example, you might remember that in the original, gossip about Cady, Regina and the Plastics in general was spread by word of mouth. Which, fine, it makes sense. But in the remake, the whole thing dissolves into hilarious chaos with the internet being involved.

This happens in the scene where Regina falls during the winter talent show. The students video the fall, and when they post it, it goes completely viral. There are a couple of scenes showing the students posting video reactions to the fall and making memes out of it. The students also text and message each other about it over social media. It definitely puts the whole mess in perspective.

Another thing I noticed about the remake that was different from the original was the language. The 2004 version featured jokes that, by today’s standards, might be considered insensitive and hurtful.

In contrast, the filmmakers’ decision to update dialogue in the remake shows a contemporary sensitivity. I feel that this makes the whole viewing experience more inclusive and enjoyable.

Also, in the 2024 remake, Cady’s story is a lot clearer, and I think the movie does a better job of showing how Cady felt throughout.

Near the very beginning of the movie, we get to see the scene where Cady learns that she will no longer have to be homeschooled.

Cady is ecstatic, and the scene really does a good job of showing how excited Cady was

to meet people her age and make friends. This isn’t shown nearly as well in the original, where Cady is portrayed as enthusiastic, sure, but the movie doesn’t really explain why.

The new version, however, is all about why.

For example, when she sings the song “Stupid With Love,” which is about how love doesn’t make sense to her the way math does, it explains why she enjoys her math class, and also why she changed herself so much to get the attention of Aaron Samuels, Cady’s love interest. She didn’t know how to just talk to him, as she was ‘stupid with love.’

It was nice to get a better sense of who Cady was, while in the 2004 version, her backstory wasn’t explored as deeply.

Another difference is that Cady has a single mom in the new version, despite having two parents in the original. I thought it was a nice touch and made the movie more realistic. It’s just another way that the new “Mean Girls” movie more accurately reflects modern times and promotes this new theme of inclusivity.

Although, Cady’s single mom might be the closest thing to a plot hole in the new movie.

It’s not explained why Cady doesn’t have a dad in the remake when she did in the original, and it also raises the question: did Cady’s mom homeschool her while traveling in Africa and also working? This might be the only flaw I found in the movie, but I still feel it should have been addressed.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the movie because it was funny, relatable and all around enjoyable. The songs were great, the characters were fun but also realistic and the plot was more detailed than the original.

I have to admit, I didn’t have high hopes when I heard a new “Mean Girls” was coming out. I was prepared to be disappointed when it became obvious it was a musical, but this movie has definitely won me over. It’s totally fetch.

RATING:

STORY BY KATE BARNES; GRAPHICS BY ANIKA NADGAUDA

12 ENDPOINT

FEBRUARY 6, 2024 • THE OCTAGON

G LDEN Cavalier AWARDS

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n light of the 2024 Golden Globes, The Octagon hosted its own version of the awards ceremony. Our staff carefully selected student and teacher nominees in various categories.

In a Jan. 25 poll sent to all students and faculty, winners of the Country Day Golden Globes were decided. Congratulations to our winners! GRAPHICS BY AVA EBERHART; PHOTOS BY ZEMA NASIROV

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